Moiben wins Ottawa Marathon 2011

May 29, 2011, OTTAWA – Under overcast skies this morning, a Kenyan man and Ethiopian woman took top spots trying out Ottawa Race Weekend’s new marathon route along crowd-filled Ottawa-Gatineau streets.

No records were broken this year as Laban Moiben of Trento, Kenya ran 2:10:17 in a sprint to the finish with Dereje Abera Ali of Briarcliff, Ethiopia, who trailed by only one second. No stranger to Ottawa, Moiben placed second in the 2010 Ottawa Marathon with 2:09:43.

Kebebush Haile Lema, from West Chester, Ethiopia was the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:32:14. Fellow Ethiopians Birkuktawit Eshetu Degefa and Radiya Adilo Roba followed quickly with times of 2:33:14 and 2:36:58 respectively.

“There was some very stiff competition on the race course this year, with the top four or five men running in a pack for part of the run,” said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator. “It was also great to see four Canadian women place in the top ten finishers.”

Up-and-coming elite runner 24-year-old Lucas McAneney of Toronto was the first Canadian male to finish with a time of 2:19:51. Seven Canadian men finished in the top 20.

The first Canadian woman to cross the finish line was Calgary-born Emily Kroshus, with a time of 2:42:26. A total of 10 Canadian women placed in the top 20.

The 2011 Ottawa Marathon is host to the Canadian Marathon Championship. As the top male and female Canadian marathoners today, McAneney and Kroshus take home $5,000 each. The Championship is also the last opportunity for Canadian athletes to qualify for the 2011 World Championships and the 2011 Pan American Games. Elite athletes can also register to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Record-breaking rain for the month of May threatened to be this year’s race weekend story, but skies remained dry for the first two-and-a-half hours of the marathon before rain began, cooling down temperatures as runners continued to make their way to the finish line.